Reciprocal Teaching presented by Kristofor Schmidt

Reciprocal Teaching

What is Reciprocal Teaching?

Reciprocal Teaching is an Instructional Model used primarily in the context of reading comprehension and literature discussion. It is a very effective strategy to enhance a student's ability to make meaning and find an authentic connection to the reading/language arts in classroom.  The objective is for students to work in literature groups and lead roles as they discuss and learn about the text from each other. In brief, students work in small groups with assigned roles in order to collaborate, read, discuss, and make meaning out of a text while learning from each other. The teacher guides students in how to make a conversation about a book and then turns over the conversation to the students to become the 'teachers' in the small reading groups. 

Teacher's Role:

The teacher models the 4 roles listed below and ensures students understand the requirements of each role. Then, choose a text that is within the students' Zone of Proximal Development for the group to read. Next, the teacher places students in groups of 4-5. Guide the students as they practice their assigned roles. When students have fully learned their roles, spend time with each group listening to their discussion, participate and add insightful commentary, and focus on what processes students are using to think, make conclusions, and answer questions about the text. 

Student Roles:

Summarizer: Write/discuss the main ideas of the assigned text/paragraph so that all students in the group know what has happened.

Questioner: Write/ask relevant and thought-provoking questions which should lead to more questions.

Clarifier: Clarify and further explain questions generated by group members. In addition, clarify confusing phrases, words, and concepts discussed.

Predictor: Make an educated guess about what will occur next in the text using prior knowledge. 

Helpful Hints:

• Choose a book for each group that is within their ZPD.
• Begin with a short passage and move up to a novel as their skills improve.
• The groups should be between 4-5 students at most.
• Use whole-group lessons to teach roles, but use small groups to implement practice of roles.
• Rotate student roles each day so students can practice all roles and be active participants.
• Teach only one role per day & ensure students have time to fully learn their roles prior to starting small reading groups.
• For shy students, encourage them to contribute to the conversation and guide them.

Constructivism Learning Theory and Reciprocal Teaching

Reciprocal Teaching is a member of the Constructivism Learning Theory family.  It is a member of this family because it utilizes social, collaborative learning, uses the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) to choose which texts/paragraphs are appropriate, and accounts for the cultural background in the students' learning. Reciprocal Teaching is based on Lev Vygotsky's principles on the connection between social activities and student academic learning. Harasim (2012) describes, "Vygotsky focused on the relationship between the cognitive process and a subject's social activities" (p. 66). In this learning theory, social interactions are an integral part of cognitive and academic development. Because students are collaborating together, they are learning through social interaction. Further, the ZPD plays an important role in this IM since students should be given a text that is just beyond their academic level, but not too hard. Vygotsky used the ZPD as a tool to help students reach beyond their current level and grow. Students use their cultural background in their discussions to help internalize the text and make meaning and relate to the text. For these three reasons, Reciprocal Teaching is in the Constructivism family.

Example of Reciprocal Teaching

One fantastic way to utilize Reciprocal Teaching is using Literature Circles in your classroom. This application of Reciprocal Teaching can be accomplished with teacher guidance and scaffolding worksheets. 

First, decide what roles you want your class to have. In my classroom, I use the following roles. 

Vocabulary Wizard: Find difficult words and defines them. 

Summarizer: Write/share a summary of the assigned pages including the main ideas and important themes presented. 

Connection Maker: Find Text to Self, Text to Text, and Text to World connections. 

Illustrator: Draw and title a caption for an important scene from the text. 

Questioner: Write, share, and answer 4 questions about the text they found confusing or interesting and tries to clarify anybody else questions.

Leader: Act as the teacher and ensure everyone is on-task and guide the discussions.

*Reference the website link below for Literature Circles to find printable student role worksheets. 

• Teach each role as a whole-group lesson. 
• Create groups of 5 and assign a book to each group that is within their ZPD.
• Scaffold the roles using a worksheet for each role so that the students can record their thoughts.
• Work with each Literature Circle group guiding them as they practice and master their roles.
• Give helpful feedback, further questions, and suggest connections to help their cognitive growth.

Outcomes: 

1. Literature Circles allow students to work collaboratively and gain academic knowledge from each other through guided socializing. They will hear each other's thoughts, learn from each other, and gain more insight through their assigned roles rather than just answering questions from a book. 
2. The roles, such as Connection Maker, allow students to apply their cultural background as they make connections from the text to their own lives. The role of leader allows students to take turns being teacher and take a leadership role in the group which grows their ability to lead and be responsible. 
3. The teacher will learn how their students process and think which will help them understand their academic and social needs better.

Related Websites

Reciprocal Teaching - Further information about Reciprocal Teaching IM

Reciprocal Teaching: Student Prompts - Excellent website that provides guiding questions to assist the implementation of the Reciprocal Teaching IM

Literature Circles: Getting Started  - Resource for starting Literature Circles that includes tips, worksheets, and lessons plans

References

Ahlrich, D., & Brown, J. (2005). Reciprocal teaching [Digital image]. Retrieved from http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/images/9/9c/reci_5.jpg

Harasim, L. M. (2012). Learning theory and online technology. New York, NY: Rutledge.